Customer relations is a crucial foundation of the insurance industry. Communicating, assisting and engaging with customers is a major function of any insurance company, but unfortunately, it’s also one of the most challenging.

Up to this point, insurance customer service has been largely reactive. Customers call or file a claim when they need to, they talk to a customer service representative, and their issue is dealt with.

But that approach leaves a lot to be desired, and it’s quickly becoming outdated. We have enough technology and data to anticipate needs and give the customer some control over their experience - but how do you do that successfully?

That’s where the CRM, or customer relationship management, comes in. 

What is an insurance CRM?

A typical CRM system keeps track of your customers, their information and their history with your company. It makes it easy to track, organize and update your customers’ information.

Insurance companies aren’t typically known for being digital trendsetters, but your digital offerings matter to customers. According to a 2019 survey by McKinsey that looked at industries like health insurance, “…the quality and availability of digital interactions have a significant impact on customer satisfaction.”

The easier it is to keep your information up-to-date and organized, the better customer service your team will be able to provide. But it’s not enough to just find a CRM and track data. Your CRM can go further in offering standout customer service.

CRM and integration

Finding the right CRM for you can be a journey, because your needs will be specific to your company and how you approach customer service. But it goes even deeper than that, because your CRM should also be able to work with the other tools that you use and love. That fusion is called integration.

Here’s an example of integration: Let’s say you’ve been using an email marketing provider for years, and you’re very happy with it. You can continue to use your email marketing provider and your CRM separately, or you could integrate them, allowing you to pull information from your CRM to use directly in your email system. You could also integrate your scheduler, your document sending software, your project management system, and so on. 

According to HubSpot, 79% of sales professionals say that their CRM is moderately to extremely effective at improving sales and marketing alignment. A CRM is the umbrella that can cover all of these tools - and all of your teams - and begin to connect them. 

The key is finding the right CRM that will bring in the tools you know and love, or finding new ones that will help you do your job even better. When your team, your projects, and your customers’ needs are united in one place, it gives you the power to deliver truly memorable customer service, without adding more stress on your team.

Why opt for a better CRM?

If you’ve been using your CRM for awhile, or have yet to adopt one, you might be wondering why you should change your system at all - especially if it seems to be working for you.

The truth is that insurance products are similar enough that it’s your customer service - not necessarily your products - that attracts and retains clients. Data from Gartner showed that customer experience drives more than two-thirds of customer loyalty, beating out both brand and price. So if there’s a way to give your customer service an edge, then it’s worth exploring new and better options. 

A CRM that can integrate your tech stack, help all of your teams communicate and follow the entire journey of your customers can be that edge you need.

Learn how insurance organizations are finding success with HubSpot: